I guess you are getting used to my lack of consistency in posting by now. Our first full day in Ireland was spent in Northern Island clambering across the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge and the Giants Causeway. I have photographic evidence that I actually overcame my vertigo and crossed with Ches. Both are must see destinations for tourists, however despite the crowds and threatening storms, they were both fantastic. We were however given excellent advise by a chap at the Carrickfergus tourist office and drove around the north east coast road to reach the Giants Causeway. We only saw five other cars the entire journey and were blessed with sunshine and clear skies so that we could see Scotland across the sea and some stunning Irish coast. You can come for the slide night to see the fantastic photographs.

Maybe not!

Anyway, as a substitute for a regular travelogue, I'll just make this posting about our day out yesterday at Omey Beach, and hour and a half west of Galway and probably the last stop between mainland Ireland and New York. Here they held the first event in the Galway racing carnival. Beach Racing.

Cousins John and Ann drove us up through the "Bog" and then out through the stunning Connemara to Omey. As we crested the hill, here was a vast sand flat between the mainland and what becomes an Island at high tide. Along with close to a thousand other cars, we parked on the beach. The tide was still receding so that we discovered bare feet were necessary and suspected that unless the final race started on time it would be run in 20cm of water.

As it turned out we were partially right. The first race was a hour late in starting at 2.00 pm because the water still had to fully drain, the track needed a final clearance of stones, the PA system still had to be sorted and apart from anything else, the real starting time was at "Irish" time.

Actually the first adventure was a real challenge. A pit stop at the "Porta-Loos" required some blind faith as they were just deposited on the sand hills at an angle of around 30 degrees. I envisaged rolling end over end down the sand inside the toilet. Apparently last year the kids loved giving them a rock while women were inside.

A mini fun fair of bouncing castles and other rides were set up as well as a Burgalicious caravan and another offering "Curry Fries". Other flatbeds were set up for a live band later in the day and this all on sand flats with puddles of water everywhere, dogs galore and thousands of people jostling for positions along the roped off area closest to the finishing line.

The jockeys for the first three races at least, were probably only around 14 years old and very small. The father of one advised that it was "OK to be nervous because it will keep you focused". Oh really! While the horses in the first races were smallish, the kids barely stood as tall as the horses backs. Many of the horses weren't so keen on beach racing and with a long delay before the start of the 1st race became restive and ***********trol.

John,Ann, Ches and I had plenty of time to observe the horses and jockey and make really considered decisions as to who we would put our money on. The 8 Bookies were working overtime to drum up 2E bets. We weren't so confident in our selections that we wanted to risk 1E. More about our selections later.

One jockey spent 20 minutes standing forlornly as a handler walked his horse in circles to try and calm him. Finally he mounted and struggled to control the horse to ride the 2 furlongs around to the starting point (starting with the dropping of a red flag). My horse however looked very elegant as he effortlessly made the same journey. I was looking really good for a win.

Finally the race started. They thundered the 2 furlongs around to the finish line where we were standing, and then set off on the 4 furlong lap of the track. One furlong into the journey, my horse sitting in third, set off through a gate and headed off across the sand and back to the stables (horse trailers and trucks). Glad I didn't waste my Euro.

I think Ann's horse won.

Next race looked like being 30 minutes away so Ches and Ann went in search of icecream. I won't post the photograph of Ann half way through her snow cone that was melting faster than any of us could lick. Ellie wore half on her head and then helped lick our hands clean. She's not nearly as good as cleaning hands as Buddy is. Buddy is meticulus in licking between your fingers and very thorough. After Ellie and Molly had finished licking, we found a pool of water in the sand and did a more thorough job on cleaning up,

2nd Race. I'm not making any predictions in a 4 hourse race. I'm certainly not making one in a 3 horse race when one of the horses in trying to throw the jockey falls into the ropes around the track and is scratched.

The race finally starts and it's actually a two horse race. They are only a length apart for the race up till 2 furlongs out when the 2nd horse moves up to the lead on the outside turn. The inside horse kicks again and they complete the final furlong just a head apart. The father of the winning jockey runs the final hundred metres on the inside of the track with the horses, and is onto the track to hug his son while still in the saddle.

We decided that a couple of races was enough and took the dogs across the flats to the water for a swim and a run. By the time they had had some fun, the third race was about to start and John suggested we watch the start from the starting line. Whos kidding who? Watch the start and then go to the car? Obviously we watched the 8 horse race and discovered that being on the bend before the home straight was a geat place for taking photographs and it was alsoi a great race.

At this point we did leave and stopped for some afternoon tea at Clifden. To be precise the Clifden Boardwalk Cafe (which doubles as the Clifden Boat Club). We arrived just as the Lifeboat was launched by a tractor and took off down the harbour. When suggesting to the Barista that it was a traing run he responed "Oh no, they don't practice".

I had been downstairs photographing the lifeboat launch and when I joined the girls upstairs, they were still waiting at the counter as the barista completed my Cafe Latte. Despite the fact that the full ashtrays and used cups and plates littered the outside tabbles, he was too busy to clean up. He was busy creating my Latte. A work of art; 5 absolutely equal layers of different coloured coffe and milk. Each poured over the baclk of a spoon meticulously. 5 minutes to create and consumed in a minute.

By this stage it was too late to do anything but get on the road before the returning traffic became a nightmare.

Home we cleaned up and went out for dinner with Ann, John & Rachel. Dressed up to the 6's (just 3 short of the 9's), we walked the wall from Rachel and John's stunning home on Galway Bay to the local restaurant for a fantistic seafood dinner. You can't begin to appreciate how stunning their home is, and coupled with a view across the bay to the Burren and down the bay to the Aran Islands, has to be one of the best spots on the planet. OK, I haven't experienced it in the middle of winter but, I'm willing to bet I'd still love it. I love the moods of the sea and on any day here it changes contuously.

We leave tomorrow morning for the South West and are going to miss our Scottish cousins.